Nocturnal Magpies

01 November, 2009

Question: I live in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs. Last night I heard a magpie carolling in my backyard until quite late at night. Is this possible, or was I imagining things?

Answer: Yes, this is possible, if not probable. The call of the Australian Magpie is often heard at the start of the day, but night-calls have also been recorded during the bird’s mating season from August to October. During this period, the magpie’s famous carolling can be heard from as early as 4am, and continue late into the night.

These calls are connected to territorial defence, serving as a sonic claim to a defined area. They are often made by a single bird then affirmed by a response from a partner; this “duet” asserts the pair’s control of the territory, and warns other magpies against intrusion. This control becomes especially important during the mating season, which is why adult birds can sometimes be heard nocturnally in this period. (This is also the season during which a minority of male birds will “swoop” at humans traversing their territory.)

Furthermore, this night-singing serves to assist in the retention of a strong pair bond, an imperative which is again closely linked to the mating season.

The Australian Magpie is not the only diurnal bird species known for nocturnal singing – the Willie Wagtail is another noteworthy example. Nevertheless, the prevalence of magpies in Victorian backyards makes it relatively likely that this phenomenon can be witnessed by attentive humans. After all, the species was recorded in over half of Victorian backyard surveys, making it second only to the Red Wattlebird in terms of prevalence.

We hope that you have enjoyed your ornithological night-listening. If not, rest assured that the mating season for Australian Magpies ends soon!

Comments (29)

Aug 2010: I do love waking to the sound in the night and it is happening right now in Blackburn North. I was discussing this very thing with people also waking in Eltham and Croydon, great to find a comprehensive answer. So much nicer to wake to than traffic!

So great to find this info! I'm living south of Perth WA and have been hearing one lonely maggie everynight for the past week or so...its good to read that perhaps he's not so lonely after-all!
I do love lying in bed listening to their sound :)

I TOO have recently experienced late night carolling.. I live in Gladstone Park (near the Melbourne Airport).. We have quite a few magpies in these areas and theres one main family that lives nearby who are currently caring and raising 2 juveniles...
About 2 weeks ago, we were in bed late at night at about 10pm and we could hear magpie carolling for quite some time.. and then again another night..
Then early this morning (1am) i was driving home from being out.. and 2 mapgies were chilling out on the powerlines next to my house! wide awake.. grooming themselves and just chilling out like its daylight.. It was the most bizzare thing ever!
This is fascinating stuff and im glad i found it.. it makes more sense now. But my encounters are recent and outside of October....is the carolling i hear now & seeing them up at like 1am.. (mid November-late November).. still part of the whole mating thing?..
cheers

Hi Caz and Su, our Ornithologist has said these are interesting observations and are similar to my own in some way. The magpie’s breeding season extends from late winter through spring so there is every likelihood of the songs being heard from late June to the end of November with an occasional extension simply to prove we are wrong in our observations.

As for their apparent wakefulness during the night we must place some of the blame on ourselves. I’ve noted that many birds, especially magpies are attracted to bright artificial lighting. Street lights cast a fairly bright light that in turn brings on intensified insect activity, the magpies maintain a vigilance to feed on these. If the lights were not there neither would there be magpies up and about. One thing that I’ve also noted, as have hundreds of others, is that on bright moonlit nights other birds, especially Willie Wagtails, are very vocal.

Great to hear I'm not the only one experiencing this. I live in Doncaster East. I started hearing one last night at about 1.30am and tonight they've started early, before midnight! I wonder how many more days these fellas will go on for.

We are staying in a caravan park in Hastings on Melbourne's Mornington Peninsula and are laying here at 1 am listening to beautiful magpies. We are very happy to be able to find an explanation for something we have not previously heard. ;-)

I live in Victoria Park (Perth WA) and nearly every night, every winter, for the last 3 years at least, hear a sort of whistle rising and then dropping away, usually without a response, and occurring about every 5-7 seconds - not sure how long it goes on for because I usually drop off to sleep.... eventually! Sometimes the call varies a little and at times there's a bit of a warble that does sound like a magpie. I've never heard the night-call during daylight hours and wonder if it IS a magpie and if so, why only at night and only in the winter months?? DO hope you can help, even though WA is not exactly round the corner from Melbourne!

glad I found an explanation. This has been driving me crazy and not sleeping well at all. They start here in Randwick Sydney at 1 - 2 and they stop at 6am and start up again soon after. I was thinking perhaps it was a distressed mum who had lost her chicks, and glad to read the correct explanation

Sooo happy to find this infofmation on Google. I just adore the caroling of Maggpies - the best of all bird calls - but for the last 2 or 3 months have been less enthusiastic as their songs continue nightly, unabated. Here in Perth it's 3:30am and they've been caroling every 15-20 seconds - since mabe 11pm...don't they get tired? sore throats? I love them but think I need a change of tune - gonna put on the radio - no wait - its 3:40 and they've gone quiet - eurekka!! Sweet dreams everyone - Maggie's included :)

I just love lying here listening to them, it's 1am in the morning and so gently breaking the silence is their almost ethereal song. Love it.. Although I may be one of the few who don't want them to stop. :-)

Currently lying in bed reading my book here in Queenscliff, Vic. We have two enormous gumtrees (plus fig, lemon, orange, quince and plum trees) in our backyard. Basically a winged creatures paradise...including the odd bat. This is the first august I've noticed the nocturnal magpie carols. Must admit as a light sleeper who enjoys having her window open all year round it was a tad frustrating to begin with, but now that I know it's Romeo magpie singing to Juliet magpie I'm quite content to lie here & fall asleep listening to their love song :)

12:44am, point cook, sanctuary lakes. Listening to a magpie carolling from the frontyard tree. Magnificent :) I belieeve it is the same magpie that cleans neighbour gutter from dry leaves n branches, for a nest perhaps.

12.16am Canberra, happening right this very minute. Lucky I love the little buggers & find their singing beautiful. Before reading this article I was worried something was wrong with them. But it's just that love is in the air

There is one at our place in Manly, NSW, a young one, who fossicks among leaves in the garden, carrolling very softly. It seems to me he is practicing singing so that when he grows up he will know what to do to attract a mate . . . ? It is really lovely and I could listen to it all day.

So pleased I found this article and comments. I'm recovering from surgery and sometimes find it hard to sleep, and the last couple of nights have been surprised by a Magpie quietly carolling right through the night. The first night there was some moonlight, which I thought might explain the situation. But last night was overcast and dark, and still one bird was gently twittering away - as if to itself! I did wonder if it was suffering insomnia as well. I am in the country, so street lighting and surrounding artificial lighting is not an issue here. I'm used to the occasional Magpie carolling until late in the evening, but the first time I've heard of an all night stint!

I am in Kilmore and have a very vocal magpie caroling as I write this at 1-30 am. We have many 'pies in our street and my dad taught us to give them a feed often and the family will not swoop.... He was right ! Been doing it for years now.